author, blogger, thinker

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Judy Lee Dunn

I'm a storyteller, dreamer and chief blogger here at JudyLeeDunn.com. I blog to show people how to show up online in real and engaging ways. I write to release my true stories in the hope that they will help my readers learn how to survive life and live to tell about it. I love new pens, making people laugh, eating my husband Bob's homemade veggie pizza and feeding gourmet meals to stray cats.

Can You Name 99 Things You Love in 10 Minutes?

Last November, some people took the 30-day Gratitude Challenge, that is they named one thing they were thankful for every day through the thirty days of the month.

It’s a cool idea and I may try it one of these months (I definitely do not have to wait until next November). The thing about these kinds of events is that it makes you dig below the surface and recognize things you weren’t even consciously aware of about yourself.

An exercise I call “Name 99 Things I Love,” can help you in all kinds of ways, too. You get a sense of what’s important in life, where your priorities lie and what brings you joy. For a writer—of memoir, fiction or straight nonfiction—it can also help you find your personality. Your distinct voice.

I keep this list on the wall by my computer screen. When I need a break from writing, it reminds me of all the things in life I take for granted. So, in a way, it’s a gratitude list, too.

99 Things I Love

Feeding peanuts to squirrels

Watching 1930s screwball comedies

The smell of a bold roast coffee brewing

Writing my life stories

Learning how to juggle

Teaching something new, to anyone

Going on a day car trip with Bob, with no business involved

Painting with watercolors

Black licorice

New car smell

Taking a walk on a foggy fall day

Snow globes

Writing thick, gloppy letters with a fountain pen

A first grader’s missing-tooth grin

Reading early 20th Century classics

Crows

The smell of new-cut firewood

Making paper snowflakes

Walking in the woods behind our house

Any song by Ella Fitzgerald

Watching my daughter perform in a stage play

Making my husband laugh

Making anybody laugh

Red-sky sunsets

The smell of lilies

Making popping noises with that bubble wrap stuff

Lap time with Booda the cat

Seeing my breath on a cold day

Homemade veggie pizza

Discussing political candidates and issues

Exercising to the Pavarotti & Friends for Bosnia Concert CD

The Manhattan skyline

Walking the beach on a stormy day

Judy Collins’s version of “Send in the Clowns”

Slightly tart wild blackberry pie

Canadian spelling

Watching old Hitchcock movies

Flannel pajamas

Canada geese flying low over the water

The sound of rain on the roof

The smell of a cedar tree

Veggie spring rolls with red chili sauce

Encouraging new writers

Watching improv comedy

Turning down the sound on old movies and making up new lines of dialogue

17 Comments

It is always amazing to me the things that people have in common and we do not know it. I think I could have gone on with at least ten more things after I reached #99. We should all publish our lists on our own blogs. That would be fun!

I loved reading your list, Judy! We like many of the same scents like chopped firewood, molasses cookies and asphalt after rain–to name a few. Sometime I feel like I’m so blah and well, boring. Maybe putting a list together will remind me of ME!

Making a list like this shows us just how unique we are. And I think it showed me that I see the world through all my senses, having a number of sound/smell/touch things in there, too. When you finish your list, hang it up so you can be reminded of all the things you cherish!

Yes, that’s a great idea. I used to keep a gratitude journal and would write 5 – 15 things everyday that I was grateful for. I’ve stopped the practice so your challenge is great for reminding me of how blessed I am.

I just wrote 99 things I love. Did you really take ten minutes to write that whole list? I took 16 mins and my list was not as detailed as yours! They were mostly just single word nouns. I guess I type slowly.

I love this idea! Moreover, we have a ton in common. This list makes me remember many, many fine times. I will definitely take you up on the challenge, although I doubt very much I will dash it off in 10 minutes. Feels more like something to savor, revisiting the past and planning the future.

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